Side frame for car-trucks.



A. L. HASTINGS.

slm: FRAME POR GAR TRUUKS.

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1 1 n0 1 O D l 3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

A. L. HASTINGS.

SIDE FRAME Foa CAR TRUCKS.

APYLIGATION FILED JAN.12,1912.

1,061,61 1. Patented May13,1913.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

A. L. HASTINGS.

' m' Panted May13,1913.

HEBTS-BHBET 3.

ALONZO L. IIAS'IINGS, or CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

SIDE FRAME FOR CAR-TRUCKS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May i3, 1913.

Application filed January 12, 1912. Serial No. 670,775.

To all whom it may concern:

Be `it known that I, ALONZO L. HAsrINGs, a resident of Chicago; in thecounty of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in Side Frames for Car-Trucks, of which thefollowing is a full, clear, and precise specification.

My invention relates to side frames for car trucks, and its object is toprovide an improved side frame which is mo-re reliable, efficient andmore desirable, and a further Objectis to provide an improved processfor constructing such side frame.

Side frames for railway trucks have been cast from iron or steel, but insuch cast frames blow holes and other weak spots and flaws are likely tobe present which are invisible and which therefore render the frameunreliable and consequently ineicient and undesirable. As disclosed inmy Patents No. 936,626, and No. 1,006,549, dated respectively Oct. 12,1909 'and Oct. 24, 1911, slde frames have also been formed up of blanksresulting from punching web sections from I-beam lengths, the ends ofthe flanges being bent together and welded together, and chafing framesbeing secured to vertical web sections adjacent a centralopening. Insuch construction the journal boxes are separate structures and must besecured to the frame ends by means of bolts, and such bolts are ofcourse liable to loosen during service of thedrum.

One important feature of my invention is to combine the desirablefeatures of cast sideframes and side frames built up from I-beam lengthsto thus produce a frame in which all the parts are an integral'structure of a single piece of metal and in which the metal is free ofblow holes or other weaknesses or iaws.

Another important feature of my invention relates to the process forproducing such one-piece side frame, such process consisting in forgingsuitable metal in suitable dies, the metal during its treatment in thedies being worked into homogeneous consistency so that the finished sideframe is free from such weaknesses and flaws as are liable to be presentwhere the frame is formed by the ordinary casting process, and sothatthe frame, after passing through thc dies, is one piece of metal.

The product and process of my invention will bc more clearly .and fullyunderstood by reference to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1is a side elevational view of' a preferred form of finished frame, Fig.2 is a View showing the structure looking from the oppositeside of theframe, Fig. 3 is a top view, part thereof `being in section along plane3 3, Fig. l, Fig. 4 shows the frame after it has left the last die andbefore brake hanger brackets are struck up from portions thereof andbefore the journal boxes are fully completed, Fig. 5 is a sectional viewlooking from plane 5-5, Fig. 4, Fig. 6 is a sectional view taken fromplane 6 6, Fig. 4, Fig. 7 is a section looking from plane 7*-7, Fig. 4,showing the width and thickness of the finished frame after leaving thelast set of dies, Fig. 8 is a sectional view taken from plane 7--7, Fig.4 and showing the embryo width after the frame leaves the first set ofdies, Fig. 9 is a plan view of one die member, showing a side frametherein of modified-structure, Fig. 10 is a sectional view taken fromplane 10-10, Fig. 9, and Fig. l1 is a sectional view taken from plane11w11, Fig. 9.

Figs. 1 to 3 show the preferred form of finished side frame which issubstantially a single piece of metal, and Figs. 4 to 6 show thestructure formed in the dies and to which the lower parts of the journalboxes are added to produce the finished structure .ents referred toabove, in which the side frames are formed up from I-beam lengths, fromwhich sections have been punched. In the structure of Figs. 1 to 3 thetop and bottom walls 11 and 12 are of T-cross-section, and of the sameshape as an I-beam flange with web stubs remaining thereon. The middlesections 11n and 12 of the upper and lower walls respectively arehorizontal and parallel, the end sections 11b and 11c of the upper wallsloping downwardly, and the end sections 12 and 1.2c of the lower wallsloping upwardly, the outer ends of these upper' and lower cud sectionsmerging into each other, Connecting between the ends of the horizontalsections 11n and 12a are the vertical walls 13 and 14. which, togetherwith these horizontal sections, form the rec-- tangular central opening15 for receiving spring plank and bolster mechanism. At

its outsides each'of the vertical walls 13 and 14 has a centralstrengthening web 16 forming a continuation of the web stubs of theupper and lower walls 11 and 12. The walls 13 and 14 at their lower endshave the lateral wings 17 and 1S respectively which extend downwardly tothe lower wall section 1.2a and which serve to support the spring plankwhich in practice will be suitably' mounted on thelower wall section 12,the wings being perforated for receiving bolts by means of which thespring plank may be secured. Directly above these lateral extensions orwings the walls 13 and 14 are deflected outwardly at 19 and 20 to leavethe opposed pockets or'passageways 21 and 22 through which the bolstermay be 1nserted to be eventually raised into engagement with thesections of the walls 13 and 14 above the passageways 21 andv22.

At the ends of the frame thus far described journal boxes J areprovided, each y having an upper wall 26, sidewalls 27 and 28, and abottom 29, the side walls 27 and 28 having respectively the side stoplugs 30 and 31, and the top wall in front of these-lugs having the frontstop lugs 32 and 83. The top wall at its front edge has also upstandingbearing lugs 34 and 35 for pivoting a shaft 36 carrying the lid 37 forclosing the front end of the journal box, a web 38 extending between thebearing lugs serving to cooperate with a spring 39 on the lid to holdthe lid either in its opened or closed position. At the rear end of eachjournal box is arear inner wall 40 having the vertical elongated opening41, and the outer wall 42 spaced from the inner wall and having thecircular opening 43, the walls being connected at their sides and bottomand open at their top tothus form a pocket for receiving a dust guard,as is well understood in the art. The frame also has a brake hangersupporting` bracket44 extendingrearwardly from each of the walls 13 and14.

v In Figs. 4to 7 is shown the one-piece construction from which thefinished frame just described is built up. The structure of Figs.

4 to 7 has everything of the finished structure shown in Figs. 1 to 3,with the exception of the lower halves or bottoms of the journal boxesand the lids and dust guard walls of the journal boxes. The structurehas the upper halves J of the journal boxes, which upper halveshave theside stop lugs and the front stop lugs thereon, and also the y1 pivotlugs for the lids. As shownA in Figs. 1 to, 3, the lower sections orbottoms of the journal boxes have/been welded,v to the top 60 sections`J', and the dust guard walls have been welded to the rearends of theupper i and. ,lower sections of the journal boxes, and

the lids have; been pivoted, to the pivot lugs.

Instead.,iotffwelding. the vari/0.1151 parts t0- gcther it is of courseunderstood that they `'from the crucible between the members of a die,the form of the die being such that after the metal has suiiicientlycooled to be selfsupporting it will have substantially the outlines ofthe finished frame, but transversely it will be wider and thinner thanin the finished frame, as shown in Fig. 8. The frame is removed from thefirst die as soon as the metal becomes self-su porting, and is thentransferred immediate y to a second die or setof dies, in which the hotmetal is Worked and compressed transversely `toward sub- 35 stantiallythe final width. After this treatment some of the metal will of coursehave squeezed out between the die members to form burs and irregularprojections. vAffter treatment in the second die or set of dies themetal, if not sufficiently hot, is re-heated and then the structureplaced in a third die or set of dies in which itis worked and compressedto final shape and the burs and irregular projections at the same timetrimmed ofl' and all the corners well filled in and rounded out, and wethen have the structure of Figs. 4 to 7. Parts of the web sections 481?and 48' are now punched out to leave the blank extensions 49b and 49C(see dotted lines Fig. 4) 100 on the ribs 16 of the bolster retainingwalls 13 and 14, and these blanks are deflected inwardly atsubstantially right angles to the ribs 16, and the end sections of theblanks deflected toform the parallel pivot lugs or wings 50b and 50",between which brake hanger mechanisms are pivoted when the frames areput into service. The structure of Figs. 4 to 7 is therefore in the formof a single piece of metal which, after having beenworked in the variousdies, is homogeneous and of uniform strength and free from blow holesand other weaknesses which are so liable to be present in cast frames.

All the partsof the side frame which are actually put to strain duringoperation of a truck form part of this single metal piece structure, andthe vparts which are added thereto to form the finished structure ofFigs, l to 3 are such as do not take any '12o strain whatever duringoperation of the truck, the bottoms of the journal boxes added to thestructure of Figs. 4 to '7 serving only to receive -oil and waste, thelid serving merely to close the journal boxes, and the dust guard wallsserving merely to retain between them the dust guards which are mountedonthe wheel axles which 'extend into .the journal boxes. The side stoplugs and the front stop lugs which support the journal brasses and thewedges for securing the brasses in place are parts of the one-placemetal structure. When the bottoms of the journal boxes are welded to theupper parts we will have a substantially onepiece metal finishedstructure, barrin of course the lids which are pivoted to the journalboxes. The product of my invention 1 therefore possesses the greatestreliability and eiiciency features. f

In Fi 9 to 11 die members A and B are shown, tween which a modified formof side frame body has just been worked into final shape. This modifiedconstruction, although in la single ieee of metal, does notinclude anyjourna box parts, the journal boxes being subsequently either bolted orwelded to the arms 51b and 51. In order to further strengthen suchstructures where separate journal boxes are securedto the ends, strapsusually connect between the lower ends of the journalboxes and the framebody, and on the form shown in Fig. 9 I have shown brackets 46b and 46cwhich are formed integral with the structure and to which the inner endsofy suitable straps (not shown) are welded or otherwise secured, theouter ends of the straps being in practice either welded or otherwisesecured t'o the under sides of the ournal boxes. In the form of Fig. 9the bra e hanger brackets can of course be an integral part of theonepiece structure punched and formed from a web, just as in thearrangement of Figs. 1 to 7. In both the forms of Fig. 9 and Figs. 1 to7 the brake hanger brackets and of course the separate pieces arepreferably securely welded to the wall structures 13 and 14.

The walls of the dies are of course so constructed that the lformedstructures can readily be withdrawn therefrom, it being necessary onlythat the inner faces of the up er sections of the bolster ide walls 13and 14 be straight and paralle and that the inner faces of the wlngs 17and 18 be straight to fit securely against the sides of the springplank. The outer faces of these parts mentioned can of course be taperedpro erly, so that the structure can be readily wit drawn from the dies.I thus produce a one-piece side frame structure including all such partsas will be subjected Vto actual strains during operation, and after thelower journal box halves and other parts are intimately welded to thestructure we will have substantially a one-piece finished side frame.

-The embryo side structure being formed by pouring metal of suitablequality direct from the crucible into dies and the subsequent`transverse working of the embryo structure in other dies or sets ofdies produces a final structure in which the metal is homogeneousthroughout and entirely free from blow hbles or` other flaws, suchtransverse compression and working treatment giving the metalsubstantially the same consistency and homogeneity as in metal beamswhich have been rolled.

My improved process, besides producing a superior product, also producessuch product at much less expense than the rocess used in constructingthe side frames rom I- beam structures, as 1n my patents referred to.

I do not, of course, deslre to be limited to the precise form,construction, and treatment referred to, as changes and modificationsare possible which would still come within the scope of my invention,and

I therefore claim the following:

1. As a new article of manufacture, a side frame structure for railwaytrucks comprising upper and lower walls secured together at their outerends and spaced apart between such ends, adjacent vertical wallsconnecting between said upper and lower walls and forming with themiddle sections of said walls a central opening for receiving bolsterand spring plank mechanism, lateral extensions from the lower ends ofsaid vertical walls for supporting spring plank mecha- `nism within saidcentral opening, and brake hanger brackets extending laterally from saidvertical walls, said walls, extensions, and brake hanger bracketsforming part of a single-piece drop forging.

2. As a new article of manufacture, a side frame structure for railwaytrucks comprising a main frame part having a central opening forreceiving spring plank and bolster mechanism and having journal boxstructures at its ends, said main frame and journal box structures beinga single-piece drop forging.

3. As a new article of manufacture, a single-piece drop forged sideframe structure comprising a main frame part having a central openingfor receiving bolster and spring plank mechanism, brake hanger bracketsextending laterally from said main frame part, and a journal boxstructure at each end of the main body part.

4. As a new article of manufacture, a side frame for railway truckscomprising a main body part, upper halves of journal boxes at the endsof said body part, said body part and journal box upper halves being inthe form of a` single-piece drop forging, and lower journal box halvessecured to the upper journal box halves.

5. As a new article of manufacture, a side frame for railway truckscomprising a main body part, upper halves of journal boxes at the endsof said body part, said body part and journal box upper halves being inthe form of a single-piece drop forging, and lower journal box halveswelded to the upper journal box halves.

6. As a new article of manufacture, a side frame for railway truckscomprising upper and lower walls connected together at their outer ends,adjacent intermediate vertical walls between said upper and lower walls,

a web section between each of said vert-ical walls and the adjacentupper and lower walls, and brake hanger brackets .cut in blank from saidwebs and then deflected to extend at right angles from said vert-ical I,Loenen walls, al1 said parts being a single piece drop forging.

In witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe CHARLES J. SCHMIDT, NELLIE BOYDDEARBORN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressingthe Gommissiener of Patente.

' Washington, I). G.

